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Reducing waste

24 March 2016

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Every year in Essex, thousands of tonnes of waste are sent to landfill. This is neither an environmentally friendly nor a financially viable solution, with the council being forced to pay a tax on every tonne of waste which is disposed of in this way. This prevents money being spent in other areas, which is one of the reasons why we encourage residents to explore measures to reduce their household waste. The following are just some of the ways you can play your part.

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Compost kitchen and garden waste

Composting is not only a great way to reduce your kitchen and garden waste, but also to save the environment and improve your garden.

Opt out of junk mail

You can prevent this by registering your details with the Mailing Preference Service which stops personally addressed unsolicited mail and emailing your details to: optout@royalmail.com which stops unaddressed junk mail, but bear in mind this will include any information from local or national government. You can request a Stamp Out Junk Mail pack which includes a letterbox sticker by contacting the Recycling and Waste team.

Opt out of telephone directories

By not receiving telephone directories, you can help to save a vast amount of paper every year. The following are the numbers you need to call to opt out of the most popular directories:

BT Phonebook - 0800 833 400

Yellow Pages - 0800 671 444

Thomson Local - 01252 555 555.

Use reusable nappies

If you are a parent, the use of reusable, cloth nappies instead of disposables can help you to reduce waste significantly.

Reduce food waste

Preventing food waste could save an average family with children £680 a year. To help, the main elements of the Love Food Hate Waste campaign are planning (list writing, stock checking and meal planning), using left overs, storage of items (prolonging their life), portion sizes and knowing your labels (best before/use by, etc). Visit the Love Food Hate Waste website for more information.

Avoid over-packaged products

When shopping, avoid products which are overly packaged. Where possible, opt for unpackaged items such as loose fruit and vegetables.

Use reusable shopping bags

Take a reusable shopping bag with you when go shopping to avoid using disposable plastic carriers.